


Don't Let Me Down (*Drown)

by behappy



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Jace didn't know, M/M, because i don't like sad shit, comfort!Alec, everyone sees Magnus fall apart, hurt!Magnus, it's just overall not fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-16 02:50:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7249078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/behappy/pseuds/behappy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based off the headcanon: "Magnus has hydrophobia. When a prank accidently goes too far on Jace's part and he gets pushed into a pool, he has a panic attack and Alec calms him down."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Let Me Down (*Drown)

        "It's just a pool party. You don't have to swim."  
  
        "You sound like you're convincing yourself more than you're convincing me, Mags."  
  
        Magnus puts on a brave face, slipping his silk shirt over his head. "Trust me, darling, I'm more concerned with convincing you to wear the shorts I picked out for you."  
  
        "I will if you tell me why you're being cryptic."  
  
        With a roll of his eyes, Magnus sighs. "I'm not being cryptic, I'm being coy."  
  
        "Doesn't matter." Alec grumps.  
  
        "You know how I am about swimming. Or water in general." Magnus murmurs.  
  
        "I'll wear the shorts."  
  
        And Alec decides the smile on Magnus' face after agreeing to it is worth it.  
  
        Summer in the city can get intense. The heat can be unbearable and that's when pools become utilized by everyone, from the young to the elderly.  
  
        "I'll make you your favorite drink, Alexander. So, smile and have fun."  
  
        "I love you." Alec says, squeezing his and Magnus' intertwined hands.  
  
        "And I love you, my little Alec."  
  
        Alec grins at the nickname, reminding Magnus of a little boy.  
  
        They round the corner of the hotel, spying the pool with their handful of friends sitting around. All but one, Magnus notes.  
  
        "Where's the Wayland boy?"  
  
        "He might be with--"  
  
        Magnus feels muscled arms wrap around him violently and he struggles. "PUT ME DOWN! NO, NOT THE PO--"  
  
        "Jace, you idiot!" Magnus hears before--  
  
        The water submerges Magnus in its five feet depth. Alec looks as if Magnus had just been shot while the others are laughing, but no one with the smirk Jace has. That is until they noticed Magnus' unrelenting hyperventilating when he resurfaces. He drags himself out of the pool by the metal bars and rough steps.  
  
        He falls to his knees, crumpling in on himself.  
  
        "He's afraid of the water." Alec grits out, pushing past Jace to reach his boyfriend.  
  
        Magnus' grip on his soaked shirt has turned his tan knuckles white, but he can't let go. He's too scared to let go.  
  
        "Magnus." Alec snags a dry towel from Clary, who is now glaring at Jace with fury, and wraps it around him. "Mags, can you hear me?"  
  
        When Alec goes to run a hand through Magnus' hair, he flinches, and Alec frowns, retracting his hand. "Mags, hey."  
  
        "I need you to breathe for me." But he doesn't.  
  
        Magnus lets out a choked noise and Alec pulls him to his feet. "Come on, Mags, let's go back to our room."  
  
        "Magnus, Alec, I'm sorry, I didn't--" Jace tries to apologize, but the ferocious glare from Alec shuts him up.  
  
        Magnus is shaking in Alec's arms all the way to their room. His tears are falling fast and he's too gone to feel the warmth of them falling. His makeup is smeared, his glitter scattered.  
  
        "Magnus." Alec uses his soft voice. The voice reserved solely for Magnus. "Please, don't cry."  
  
        He wipes the tears from Magnus' eyes with his thumbs.  
  
        "Alexa--" Magnus sobs, breaking Alec's heart.  
  
        In just under a minute, an immortal warlock with centuries of experience is reverted down into a normal human with fears and feelings and unrelenting pain.  
  
        "Sh, Magnus, it's okay." Alec wraps his arms around the elder.  
  
        The salty tears soak through Alec's tank top, but he can't be bothered to care about that. Magnus' hands grip Alec's shirt for dear life, his tears streaming like a storm.  
  
        "You're okay, I'm okay. We're both okay." Alec soothes, pulling away to hold Magnus' face in his hands.  
  
        His eyes are rimmed red, lip quivering.  
  
        "Let's get you out of these clothes. Is that okay?"  
  
        Magnus just stands there, staring blankly out the window as Alec unpacks some of Magnus' clothes. Alec knows Magnus is really stricken when he makes no comment about the outfit Alec chose. Red with purple, something Magnus hates.  
  
        Once he's dressed, Alec notices little quivers of blue at the tips of Magnus' fingertips and brings Magnus' hand up for inspection. Magnus' hands have done this a handful of times, but only with Alec.  
  
        Magnus hugs Alec tightly. It's silent, Magnus blinking back fresh tears.  
  
        "Feel better?"  
  
        Magnus nods, resting his head against Alec's shoulder. "You're so good to me."  
  
        Alec guides them to the bed. "That's what we're supposed to do, right? We love each other and we help each other."  
  
        He pulls the duvet back, sliding in and gently guiding Magnus in after him.  
  
        "I'm sorry for being afraid. It's the most irrational fear... Considering all the other things... That I could be afraid of."  
  
        "Hey, hey. Don't get yourself worked up again. You're okay." Alec holds Magnus closer, the elder hiding his face in Alec's chest.  
  
        "You're my everything." Magnus blinks back his tears, smiling wetly at Alec.  
  
        "Forever and always, like we promised."  
  
****  
  
        Magnus isn't the same after that. Instead of clinging to Alec as he always does, Magnus falls silent and, if it weren't for the two practically living together, Alec wouldn't hear from Magnus at all.  
  
        "Magnus, we need to talk." That catches Magnus' attention quicker than the time Chairman did a no-no on his couch for not feeding him.  
  
        "Are you--" Magnus stares at him with betrayal flashing across his face.  
  
        "No," Alec's stern expression softens. "No, I would never. We need to talk about you."  
  
        Magnus quickly waves his hand. "I don't know what we have to discuss."  
  
        "How you reacted is the perfect example. You would've made a joke instead of tearing up, Magnus. You aren't okay, and don't you tell me you are."  
  
        "Maybe I'm just growing sensitive in my old age." Magnus waves his hand, a drink appearing on his desk in front of him.  
  
        "Magnus,  _please_. Talk to me."  
  
        The kindness and sincerity in Alec's voice only stirs Magnus even more and he glares up at his boyfriend. "Alec, if I don't want to talk, I won't. Even if I did want to talk, it wouldn't be to you."  
  
        "Fine." Alec replies coolly.  
  
        He grabs his duffel he used to move in with Magnus to move out, packing his clothes and variety of things he brought to Magnus' apartment.  
  
         _Magnus,_  
  
        Call me when you're ready.  
  
        And Alec leaves without saying goodbye.  
  
****  
  
        When Magnus wakes up alone the next morning, he assumes Alec slept in the guest room after their little disagreement. But he doesn't smell coffee brewing and he doesn't hear Alec humming to himself as he approaches the kitchen. He knows he made a mistake when he finds Alec's neatly written note taped against the fridge.  
  
        And Magnus is going to pretend that the dried dot on the small slip of paper isn't a tear stain for the sake of his own heart not ripping in two.  
  
        "Magnus," Maryse addresses him curtly. "Alec is out on patrol, surely you can see him later at his and your loft."  
  
        He lets out a disheveled sigh. "Would it be alright for me to stick around and wait for him?"  
  
        She eyes him curiously. "I'll allow it."  
  
        And Magnus waits in Alec's room for hours, ignoring the duffel that used to be at the back of their closet sitting there mocking him for being such an idiot.  
  
        "Magnus." The warlock's gaze drops to the duffel, thinking he's stared at it so long it's talking to him.  
  
        "Surely I've lost my mind." He mutters, arms crossed over his chest.  
  
        "Magnus." He snaps his eyes up at the figure, frowning. "Why're you here?"  
  
        Magnus stands from Alec's bed. "I'm waiting for your brother."  
  
        The blond rolls his eyes. "He went to your guys' loft after our patrol. Said he made a mistake and all that deep shit about you."  
  
        "Oh, really?" Magnus can't help but let his grin spread across his face. "I guess I haven't been dumped after all."  
  
        With a wave of his hand a portal appears and he crosses into his and Alec's (hopefully) apartment. He finds a stricken Shadowhunter leaning against the counter as if his knees have given out and it's his only support.  
  
        "My beautiful Nephilim." Magnus speaks softly.  
  
        Alec turns, pain in his eyes. "Where were you?"  
  
        "I was at the Institute, waiting for you." Magnus keeps his distance, hands at his sides.  
  
        Alec wipes at his eyes and Magnus ignores how they're rimmed red. "I... I thought that you... I thought you left to be with... I don't know."  
  
        "Alexander." Magnus watches his lover's face crumple at the pet name. "I'm sorry for treating you horribly these past couple of weaks."  
  
        Alec holds his hand up when Magnus reaches out for him. "Don't touch me. Not right now."  
  
        "Remember when we first met and I told you that I only had one condition of us being together? Don't ask about my past, accept it or leave it." Magnus takes a shaky breath, hands curling into fists. "I was five when I was playing in the yard of my family's farm when my stepfather grabbed me, stuffing my head into a bucket of water. He wouldn't let me go and the water was filling my lungs and I couldn't breathe, but there was nothing I could do."  
  
        "Magnus." Alec reaches out now, hand stroking his boyfriend's face.  
  
        Magnus feels the tips of his finger emitting sparks of blue with the waves of love rushing over him as he watches his Shadowhunter give him a compassionate stare. "I love you."  
  
        And Alec's face contorts with realization. "Your fingers... They only ever do that when I'm with you."  
  
        Alec embraces the elder, wrapping his arms around Magnus' shoulders. "They only do that when..."  
  
        "When I'm overwhelmed with love, Alexander. You give me nothing but love."  
  
        Alec presses a kiss into Magnus' hair. "Can we pretend this fight never happened?"  
  
        "Only if you never pack up and go again. I was so heartbroken, Alexander. I thought you left me." Magnus says sullenly into Alec's neck.  
  
        "I'll never leave you. Forever and always."  
  
        "Like we promised."


End file.
